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~Ephesians 5:16

Saturday, March 2, 2013

S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah Review

The S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah is finally upon us. People whom had paid using EMS as their shipping should have received it earlier, and if not, tomorrow afternoon. Talking personally for a second, this was my most anticipated figure ever. Why? Destoroyah is my favorite Godzilla antagonist, I grew up with the 1995 movie. Now, let's talk about the character in question. Destoroyah, (kown in the dub as 'Destroyer') was the final monster Godzilla fought in the Heisei series. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was a grand movie, having a very climatic fight and...G died. Destoroyah is famous first of all for his amazing design. He looks like a demon straight out of Hell. Combine that with his rather sadistic way of doing things, he became a fan favorite instantly. It has been argued countless times, but this demonic monster may just be the most powerful of Godzilla's adversaries. G never truly even defeated him! So here we have the Monsterart, completing the Vs. Destoroah set. We had the critically acclaimed Burning Godzilla, then came little Junior, and finally this guy. While Ghidorah will go down as the most anticipated figure of this line yet, at least there has been no disappointment with Destoroyah. It's pretty much everything you want with less risk of things breaking.

Firstly, it's important to mention that thing is massive. The Heisei monsters were complete opposites from the Show era's. In this era they were rather bulky and immobile, Destoroyah is an example. He's extremely slow, but insanely strong. The figure captures that wonderfully. If you pair him up with Ghidorah, it's quite the difference. (Of course Ghidorah is still the tallest because of the articulated heads.) Because Destoroyah obviously wouldn't be able to walk around much in his film, he was naturally given wings. They look really nice on the figure. Ghidorah still wins with having the most magnificent looking wings. (However, if we're talking which are more prone to break, that's a different story.) The face is done well, the horn on top looks fantastic. Minor complaint is the eyes, they look way too dark. The Bandai Vinyls has the eyes colored yellow, which I think is better since the dark red contrasts with the burgundy on the face. Everything else is superb.

WATCH OUT! When you open the box, (very nice box by the way) you'll have to manually insert the tail yourself, like with the Ultra Act Gomora. Only thing is that you have to be really careful when holding the figure and inserting. I made the mistsake of inserting and without a proper grasp. What followed was pretty much the entitre figure coming apart. (It was put back together after the great annoyance had subsided.) But yeah, be extra careful when inserting that tail, which is also beautifully sculpted. With such a massive figure, articulation wouldn't be as plentiful as some of the past figures. You can pose Destoroyah in a few different ways, some unique if you want to be adventurous. While there isn't too much articulation, I do like how the little claws can be moved, a very nice touch. Now for the accessories...wait a second, there aren't any. A problem with Burning Godzilla was the sad lack of accessories. Two little maser tanks doesn't quite cut it. Destoroyah has none! Where's his oxygen ray? It's pretty much a crime that it wasn't included.

Despite a lack of accessories, the S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah is a fine figure, and easily the best Destoroyah out there. He scales perfectly with Burning Godzilla. Although if you were to pair him with SpaceGodzilla, the size difference is so severe it's sad. But in the end, the bigger they are the more bang you get for your buck. This Monsterart doesn't have any big flaws, it's a great figure to have. $130 may seem a bit much, but again, despite a lack of accessories, (where is that beam) I'd say it's worth it, especially for fans of the character.